Capstone Experience – 1 course/final project

The Capstone Experience in Data Science (EN.553.806) is a research-oriented project which must be approved by the research supervisor, academic advisor and the Internal Oversight Committee.  The Capstone Experience can be taken in multiple semesters, but the total number of credits required for successful completion is six (6).  Students must complete a Data Science Capstone Experience Proposal form and follow instructions below to submit for approval before enrollment in EN.553.806 will be approved by academic staff.

All students are REQUIRED to present their research findings in poster format at the event held in their final semester. A list of upcoming dates are provided below. Students must also submit a final report to their capstone supervisor. The grade for this course is based, in large part, upon the poster event and your final report. For more information on the poster and the report, please read below.

Semester Last Day of Classes Capstone
Fall 2023 F 12/8 T 12/3
Spring 2024 F 4/26 T 4/16/24
Fall 2024 F 12/6 T 12/3/24
Spring 2025 M 4/28 T 4/15/25
Fall 2025 F 12/5 T 11/25/25
Spring 2026 M 4/27 T 4/14/26

 

  1. Take a look at the list of faculty who have already agreed to serve as capstone supervisors. https://engineering.jhu.edu/ams/academics/graduate-studies/ms-in-data-science/data-science-capstone-experience/. Click on “Finding a Research Supervisor”. You might want to click on their names and look at their research interests to see any align with your interests. Keep in mind, they may already be working with one or more students and therefore unable to take on another.
  2. The “finding a research supervisor” list is just a starting point: you may look among other JHU faculty throughout Johns Hopkins, in CS, AMS, ECE, or any other department and reach out to them.
  3. If you have a specific capstone subject in mind, you may suggest it to potential supervisors if you wish, but you should remain open to other subjects that the supervisor may choose.
  4. Once a capstone subject has been decided, prepare your capstone proposal in coordination with your supervisor. Make sure he or she has properly reviewed it before submitting it.

The following list includes JHU faculty members who are willing to be contacted by DS students to supervise their capstone project. Click on their name to take you to their webpage so you can learn more about their research interests to see if they align with yours.  This list is not exhaustive and students should feel free to contact other JHU faculty with whom they would be interested to work.

The student will download and complete a Proposal Request for the Capstone Experience in Data Science describing the project goals.

The proposal should be written as follows:

  1. Title of proposed project.
  2. Project description, with enough details for evaluation (e.g., 200 words).
  3. Completion timeline. Be sure to consider adequate time for review and edits by your research supervisor before the end of the semester.
  4. Name and signature of capstone (faculty) supervisor.

TEAM PROJECTS:  Teams (of no more than 2 students) are acceptable to fulfill the capstone experience, with the following requirements:

    • The team submits a single proposal that, in addition to the aforementioned requirements, describes the composition of the group, and indicates how the work is divided among the members of the group. The project must be divided into subtasks and the proposal must indicate which group member will be in charge of each subtask, ensuring that the amount of work expected by each member aligns with the number of credits associated with the capstone (3 credits = 100 hours).
    • Teams should not include more than two students.
    • The poster may be represented individually or as a team.
    • The option to complete a team project is solely at the discretion of the research supervisor.

Student should email the proposal to the project supervisor and supervisor should send signed form back to student.

ANY changes to an approved proposal (including title, team members, title and nature of research) require the student(s) to resubmit a proposal for review.  

  1. Once the proposal has been reviewed and signed by the research supervisor, student will upload the form here. Academic staff will receive notification of the file upload and begin the committee review.
  2. Student should request registration for EN.553.806.01. The approval for the enrollment will not be granted until the student’s proposal has been fully approved.
    • If the deadline has passed for registration, the student must follow the instructions for a late add as indicated on the Registrar’s website.

  1. Student should be prepared to present his/her research findings in the form of a poster presentation which will be scheduled during one of the final dates of the Department Seminar (EN.553.801).
  2. All poster presentations must be IN PERSON.
  3. Presentation Date: Poster presentations take place on Tuesday (at the same time as the Department Seminar), typically 1 week prior to the last day of classes.  For example, in the Fall semester, the presentations are held the last Tuesday of November. In the Spring semester, presentations take place on the last Tuesday of April. Below are upcoming dates for poster presentations:
Semester Last Day of Classes Capstone
Fall 2023 F 12/8 T 12/3
Spring 2024 F 4/26 T 4/16/24
Fall 2024 F 12/6 T 12/3/24
Spring 2025 M 4/28 T 4/15/25
Fall 2025 F 12/5 T 11/25/25
Spring 2026 M 4/27 T 4/14/26
  1. Poster Specs:  The poster should be 24” x 36”.  There is no specific template.  You are encouraged to look at other professional posters of this kind for design ideas. You can also do a quick internet search for Neurips or ICML posters to see examples.

  2. Printing and Cost:  The department recommends FedEx to print posters.  If you use the FedEx on Charles Street, the cost will be covered by the department.  Additional details on contacting FedEx will be providing to you via email.

  1. Each student must write a paper or research report that must be approved by the research supervisor and advisor. The final paper should be 6-12 pages in LaTeX full page format (1 inch margins, times, 12pt) or ms-word equivalent.  Members of team projects must submit individual reports.
  2. It is strongly recommended that you submit a draft report to your capstone supervisor BEFORE you do your poster presentation to allow your supervisor to make any necessary recommendations for edits to your research and findings.  You should submit your final report to your capstone supervisor no later than 1 week AFTER poster presentations have taken place. The program coordinator (Lisa Wetzelberger) will contact your supervisor regarding your final grade and will upload those grades to SIS.

At the completion of the project, capstone supervisors will be contacted by the program coordinator (Lisa Wetzelberger) to provide a PASS/FAIL grade which will then be uploaded to SIS.

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